Zwitterionic polymer bioconjugates and related methods

ABSTRACT

Zwitterionic polymer and mixed charge copolymer bioconjugates, methods for making and using the bioconjugates.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/463,677, filed May 3, 2012, which is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US2010/055886, filed Nov. 8, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/259,088, filed Nov. 6, 2009, all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT LICENSE RIGHTS

This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. N000140910137 awarded by the Office of Naval Research and Contract No. DMR-0705907 awarded by the National Science Foundation. The Government has certain rights in the invention.

STATEMENT REGARDING SEQUENCE LISTING

The sequence listing associated with this application is provided in text format in lieu of a paper copy and is hereby incorporated by reference into the specification. The name of the text file containing the sequence listing is 52879_Sequence_Final_(—)2014-10-03.txt. The text file is 1 KB; was created on Oct. 3, 2014; and is being submitted via EFS-Web with the filing of the specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Protein and peptide therapeutic agents comprise an increasing share of the pharmaceutical market with biological drugs making up about $4.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2008. Among these biological drugs are monoclonal antibodies, hormones, and therapeutic enzymes.

Despite the growth of the biopharmaceutical market, implementation of therapeutic proteins remains a challenging task. The inherent physical and chemical instability of proteins can lead to conformational changes, degradation, aggregation, precipitation, and adsorption onto surfaces, each of which can diminish the protein's activity or render it completely inactive.

Once administered, therapeutic proteins are susceptible to short half lives, proteolysis, opsonization, and can cause immunogenic responses, each resulting in undesirable pharmacokinetics. A variety of technologies have been developed to improve these shortfalls. Included among these technologies are amino acid manipulation, genetic fusion of immunoglobulin domains or serum proteins, and conjugation with natural and synthetic polymers.

One successful implementation is the covalent conjugation of the therapeutic protein with polyethylene glycol (PEG), a non-toxic, non-immunogenetic polymer. The process of conjugation of PEG to the therapeutic protein is commonly referred to as PEGylation. PEGylation is known to change the physical and chemical properties of the biomolecule, including conformation, electrostatic binding, and hydrophobicity, and can result in improved pharmacokinetic properties for the drug. Advantages of PEGylation include improvements in drug solubility and diminution of immunogenicity, increased drug stability and circulatory life once administered, and reductions in proteolysis and renal excretion, which allows for reduced frequency of dosing.

PEGylation technology has been advantageously applied to therapeutic proteins and oligonucleotides to provide new drugs that have been approved by the U.S. FDA: adensosine deaminase (Pegademenase), asparaginase (Pegaspargase), G-CSF (Pegfilgrastim), interferon-α2a (Peginterferon-α2a), interferon-α2b (Peginterferon-α2b), hGH (Pegvisomant), anti-VEGF aptamer (Pegaptanib), erythropoietin (PEG-EPO), and anti-TNF α Fab′ (Certolizumab).

PEGylated therapeutic enzymes presently approved and on the market include depleting enzymes that are used to eliminate certain amino acids from the blood stream to starve growing tumor cells. Examples include PEG-asparaginase, PEG-methioninase, and PEG-arginine deiminase. For these enzymes, their relatively small amino acid substrates are able to diffuse through the PEG layer, enter the active site of the enzyme, and are effectively disposed of as designed. However, biomolecules requiring polymeric protection and that act on larger substrates have not been able to be developed because of the required level of PEGylation to retain the enzyme in the body, which renders the active site inaccessible.

PEGylation and PEGylated biomolecules are not without their drawbacks. Due to its strong attraction to water, PEG is known to take on a hydrodynamic diameter significantly greater than would be predicted by their molecular weight. This ballooning effect can be attributed to the reduction in the ability of the body to recognize the biomolecule and results in a decrease in the biomolecule's activity.

A murine A7 monoclonal antibody PEGylated with ten (10) 5 kDa PEG has an activity that is 10% that of the unmodified antibody. Similarly, an interferon-α2a PEGylated with a single 40 kDa PEG has an activity that is 7% that of the unmodified protein. Clearly, modification or hindrance of a biomolecule's active site resulting from PEGylated is a serious problem to be avoided in the development of a biopharmaceutical product.

Despite the advancement in biopharmaceutical drug development provided by PEGylation, a need exists to further advance biopharmaceutical drug development, to overcome the drawbacks associated with PEGylated drugs, and to provide improved reagent and biopharmaceutical products. The present invention seeks to fulfill this need and provides further related advantages,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides polymer biomolecule conjugates, reagents and methods for making the conjugates, and methods for using conjugates.

In one aspect, the invention provides a zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate comprising one or more zwitterionic polymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule.

In one embodiment, the zwitterionic polymer comprises a plurality of repeating units, each repeating unit having the formula:

wherein

R₁ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 alkyl, and C6-C12 aryl groups;

R₂ and R₃ are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl and aryl, or taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center;

L₁ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center [N⁺(R₂)(R₃)] to the polymer backbone [—(CH₂—CR₁)_(n)—];

L₂ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic center [A(═O)O⁻] to the cationic center;

A is C, SO, SO₂, or PO;

M⁺ is a counterion associated with the (A═O)O⁻ anionic center;

X⁻ is a counter ion associated with the cationic center; and

n is an integer from 1 to about 10,000.

In another aspect, the invention provides a mixed charge copolymer bioconjugate comprises one or more mixed charge polymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule.

In one embodiment, the mixed charge copolymer comprises a plurality of repeating units, each repeating unit having the formula:

wherein

R₄ and R₅ are independently selected from hydrogen, fluorine, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 alkyl, and C6-C12 aryl groups;

R₆, R₇, and R₈ are independently selected from alkyl and aryl, or taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center;

A(═O)—OM) is an anionic center, wherein A is C, SO, SO₂, or PO, and M is a metal or organic counterion;

L₃ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center [N⁺(R₆)(R₇)(R₈)] to the polymer backbone;

L₄ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic center [A(═O)—OM] to the polymer backbone;

X⁻ is the counter ion associated with the cationic center;

n is an integer from 1 to about 10,000; and

p is an integer from 1 to about 10,000.

For the above conjugates, representative biomolecules include proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and small molecules. In certain embodiments, the biomolecule has increased thermal stability relative to its unconjugated form. In certain embodiments, the conjugate resists denaturation by chaotropes and is suitable for protein loading with anionic radiotherapeutics (e.g., I₁₂₅ ⁻ and I₁₃₅ ⁻).

In another aspect, the invention provides compositions that include one or more of the conjugates of the invention and a pharmaceutically accepted carrier or diluent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the preparation of a representative zwitterionic polymer-protein conjugate of the invention. A representative NHS-ester terminated zwitterionic polymer is synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization using a representative zwitterionic monomer (CBMA) and an NHS-ester initiator. The NHS-ester terminated zwitterionic polymer is conjugated to the protein by reacting the NHS-ester with available amino groups (e.g., -amino groups of lysine residues).

FIGS. 2A and 2B compare gel permeation chromatographs for CT-PEG (LD, MD, and HD) (FIG. 2A) and representative zwitterionic polymer-protein conjugates of the invention, CT-pCB (LD, MD, and HD) (FIG. 2B). CT-pCB conjugates are pCB are M_(n) Eq. Unconjugated CT is included for comparison.

FIGS. 3A and 3B compare thermal stability for CT-PEG (LD, MD, and HD) and representative zwitterionic polymer-protein conjugates of the invention, CT-pCB (LD, MD, and HD). CT-pCB conjugates are pCB M_(n) Eq. (FIG. 3A) and pCB R_(h) Eq. (FIG. 3B). Unconjugated CT is included for comparison.

FIG. 4 compares chemical stability threw incubation in urea for CT-PEG (LD, MD, and HD) and representative zwitterionic polymer-protein conjugates of the invention, CT-pCB (LD, MD, and HD). CT-pCB conjugates are pCB M_(n) Eq. and pCB R_(h) Eq. Unconjugated CT is included for comparison.

FIG. 5 compares stability of CT-PEG (LD, MD, and HD) and representative zwitterionic polymer-protein conjugates of the invention, CT-pCB (LD, MD, and HD), in 100% serum over seven days. Unconjugated CT is included for comparison.

FIGS. 6A and 6B compare the effect of polymer type and degree of conjugation on k_(cat) with a peptide-based substrate (FIG. 6A) and a small molecule substrate (FIG. 6B).

FIGS. 7A and 7B compare the effect of polymer type and degree of conjugation on Michaelis Constant (k_(m)) with a peptide-based substrate (FIG. 7A) and a small molecule substrate (FIG. 7B).

FIGS. 8A and 8B compare the effect of polymer type and degree of conjugation on catalytic efficiency (k_(cat)/k_(m)) with a peptide-based substrate (FIG. 8A) and a small molecule substrate (FIG. 8B).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides polymer biomolecule conjugates, reagents and methods for making the conjugates, and methods for using conjugates.

In one aspect, the invention provides a zwitterionic polymer biomolecule conjugate. As used herein, the term “zwitterionic polymer biomolecule conjugate” or “zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate” refers to a biomolecule that has been modified by conjugation to a zwitterionic polymer.

In another aspect, the invention provides a mixed charge copolymer biomolecule conjugate. As used herein, the term “mixed charge copolymer biomolecule conjugate” or “mixed charge copolymer bioconjugate” refers to a biomolecule that has been modified by conjugation to a mixed charge copolymer.

The biomolecule can be modified to include one or more zwitterionic polymers, or one or more mixed charge polymers, which are covalently coupled to the biomolecule.

Zwitterionic Polymer

The zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate comprises one or more zwitterionic polymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule.

In one embodiment, the zwitterionic polymer comprises a plurality of repeating units, each repeating unit having the formula (I):

wherein

R₁ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 alkyl, and C6-C12 aryl groups;

R₂ and R₃ are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl and aryl, or taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center;

L₁ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center [N³⁰ (R₂)(R₃)] to the polymer backbone [—(CH₂—CR₁)_(n)—];

L₂ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic center [A(═O)O—⁻] to the cationic center;

A is C, SO, SO₂, or PO;

M⁺ is a counterion associated with the (A═O)O³¹ anionic center;

X⁻ is a counter ion associated with the cationic center;

n is an integer from 1 to about 10,000; and

* represents the point at which the repeating unit is covalently linked to the next.

Mixed Charge Copolymer

The mixed charge copolymer bioconjugate comprising one or more mixed charge copolymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule.

As used herein, the term “mixed charge copolymer ” refers to a copolymer having a polymer backbone, a plurality of positively charged repeating units, and a plurality of negatively charged repeating units. In the practice of the invention, these copolymers may be prepared by polymerization of an ion-pair comonomer.

The mixed charge copolymer includes a plurality of positively charged repeating units, and a plurality of negatively charged repeating units. In one embodiment, the mixed charge copolymer is substantially electronically neutral. As used herein, the term “substantially electronically neutral” refers to a copolymer that imparts advantageous nonfouling properties to the copolymer. In one embodiment, a substantially electronically neutral copolymer is a copolymer having a net charge of substantially zero (i.e., a copolymer about the same number of positively charged repeating units and negatively charged repeating units). In one embodiment, the ratio of the number of positively charged repeating units to the number of the negatively charged repeating units is from about 1:1.1 to about 1:0.5. In one embodiment, the ratio of the number of positively charged repeating units to the number of the negatively charged repeating units is from about 1:1.1 to about 1:0.7. In one embodiment, the ratio of the number of positively charged repeating units to the number of the negatively charged repeating units is from about 1:1.1 to about 1:0.9.

Ion Pair Comonomers. In one embodiment, the copolymers are prepared by copolymerization of suitable polymerizable ion pair comonomers.

Representative ion-pair comonomers useful in the invention have formulas (II) and (III):

CH₂═C(R₄)—L₃—N⁺(R₆)(R₇)(R₈) X⁻  (II)

CH₂═C(R₅)—L₄—A₂(═O)—OM  (III)

In this embodiment, the crosslinked polymer (e.g., hydrogel) has repeating units having formula (IV):

wherein

R₄ and R₅ are independently selected from hydrogen, fluorine, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 alkyl, and C6-C12 aryl groups;

R₆, R₇, and R₈ are independently selected from alkyl and aryl, or taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center;

A(═O)—OM) is an anionic center, wherein A is C, SO, SO₂, or PO, and M is a metal or organic counterion;

L₃ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center [N⁺(R₆)(R₇)(R₈)] to the polymer backbone;

L₄ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic center [A(═O)—OM] to the polymer backbone;

X⁻ is the counter ion associated with the cationic center;

n is an integer from 1 to about 10,000;

p is an integer from 1 to about 10,000; and

* represents the point at which the repeating units is covalently linked to the next.

In one embodiment, R₇ and R₈ are C1-C3 alkyl.

R₆, R₇, and R₈ are independently selected from alkyl and aryl, or taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center. In one embodiment, R₆, R₇, and R₈ are C1-C3 alkyl.

In certain embodiments, L₃ is selected from the group consisting of —C(═O)O—(CH₂)_(n)— and —C(═O)NH—(CH₂)_(n)—, wherein n is an integer from 1 to 20. In certain embodiments, L₃ is —C(═O)O—(CH₂)_(n)—, wherein n is 1-6.

In certain embodiments, L₄ is a C1-C20 alkylene chain. Representative L₄ groups include —(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is 1-20 (e.g., 1, 3, or 5)

In certain embodiments, A is C or SO.

In certain embodiments, n is an integer from 5 to about 5,000.

In one embodiment, R₄, R₅, R₆, R₇, and R₈ are methyl, L₃ is —C(═O)O—(CH₂)₂—, and L₄ is —CH₂—, A₁ is C or SO, and n is an integer from 5 to about 5,000.

In the above formulas, the polymer backbones include vinyl backbones (i.e., —C(R′)(R″)—C(R′″)(R″″)—, where R′, R″, R″′, and R″′ are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl) derived from vinyl monomers (e.g., acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene).

In the above formulas, N⁺ is the cationic center. In certain embodiments, the cationic center is a quaternary ammonium (e.g., N bonded to L₁, R₂, R₃, and L₂). In addition to ammonium, other useful cationic centers (e.g., R₂ and R₃ taken together with N) include imidazolium, triazaolium, pyridinium, morpholinium, oxazolidinium, pyrazinium, pyridazinium, pyrimidinium, piperazinium, and pyrrolidinium.

R₁-R₈ are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl groups. Representative alkyl groups include C1-C10 straight chain and branched alkyl groups. In certain embodiments, the alkyl group is further substituted with one of more substituents including, for example, an aryl group (e.g., —CH₂C₆H₅, benzyl). In one embodiment, R₂ and R₃, and R₆, R₇, and R₈, are methyl. In one embodiment, R₁-R₈ are methyl. Representative aryl groups include C6-C12 aryl groups including, for example, phenyl. For certain embodiments of the above formulas, R₂ and R₃, and/or R₆, R₇, and R₈ are taken together with N⁺ form the cationic center.

L₁ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center to the polymer backbone. In certain embodiments, L₁ includes a functional group (e.g., ester or amide) that couples the remainder of L₁ to the polymer backbone (or polymerizable moiety for the monomers). In addition to the functional group, L₁ can include an C1-C20 alkylene chain. Representative L₁ groups include —C(═O)O—(CH₂)_(n)— and —C(═O)NH—(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is 1-20 (e.g., n=2).

L₂ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center to the anionic group. L₂ can be a C1-C20 alkylene chain. Representative L₂ groups include —(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is 1-20 (e.g., 1, 3, or 5).

L₃ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center to the polymer backbone. In certain embodiments, L₃ includes a functional group (e.g., ester or amide) that couples the remainder of L₃ to the polymer backbone (or polymerizable moiety for the monomers). In addition to the functional group, L₃ can include an C1-C20 alkylene chain. Representative L₃ groups include —C(═O)O—(CH₂)_(n)— and —C(═O )NH—(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is 1-20 (e.g., n=2).

L₄ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic group to the polymer backbone. L₄ can be a C1-C20 alkylene chain. Representative L₄ groups include —(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is 1-20 (e.g., 1, 3, or 5).

Representative alkyl groups include C1-C30 straight chain and branched alkyl groups. In certain embodiments, the alkyl group is further substituted with one of more substituents including, for example, an aryl group (e.g., —CH₂C₆H₅, benzyl).

Representative aryl groups include C6-C12 aryl groups including, for example, phenyl including substituted phenyl groups (e.g., benzoic acid).

X⁻ is the counter ion associated with the cationic center. The counter ion can be the counter ion that results from the synthesis of the cationic polymers or the monomers(e.g., Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻). The counter ion that is initially produced from the synthesis of the cationic center can also be exchanged with other suitable counter ions. Representative hydrophobic counter ions include carboxylates, such as benzoic acid and fatty acid anions (e.g., CH₃(CH₂)_(n)CO₂ ⁻ where n=1-19); alkyl sulfonates (e.g., CH₃(CH₂)_(n)SO₃ ⁻ where n=1-19); salicylate; lactate; bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide anion (N⁻(SO₂CF₃)₂); and derivatives thereof Other counter ions also can be chosen from chloride, bromide, iodide, sulfate; nitrate; perchlorate (ClO₄); tetrafluoroborate (BF₄); hexafluorophosphate (PF₆); trifluoromethylsulfonate (SO₃CF₃); and derivatives thereof Other suitable counter ions include salicylic acid (2-hydroxybenzoic acid), benzoate, and lactate.

The size (e.g., n or M_(n)) of the zwitterionic polymer conjugated to the biomolecule can be varied and depends on the nature of the biomolecule.

For the polymers useful in the invention, the degree of polymerization (DP or n), number average molecular weight (M_(n)), and the ratio of weight average and number average molecular weights (M_(w)/M_(n).), also known as polydispersity index, can vary. In one embodiment, the polymers have a degree of polymerization (n) from 1 to about 10,000. In one embodiment, n is from about 10 to about 5,000. In another embodiment, n is from about 100 to about 3,500. In one embodiment, the polymers have a number average molecular weight (M_(n)) of from about 200 to about 2,000,000 Da. In one embodiment, M_(n) is from about 2,000 to about 100,000 Da. In another embodiment, M_(n) is from about 20,000 to about 80,000 Da. In one embodiment, the polymers have a ratio of weight average and number average molecular weight (M_(w)/M_(n).) of from about 1.0 to about 2.0. In one embodiment, M_(w)/M_(n)is from about 1.1 to about 1.5. In another embodiment, M_(w)/M_(n). is from about 1.2 to about 2.0.

Biomolecules

As noted above, the zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate comprises one or more zwitterionic polymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule. Suitable biomolecules include biopolymers (e.g., proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides, polysaccharides), lipids, and small molecules.

Exemplary biomolecules that may be used in accordance with the present invention include proteins (including multimeric proteins, protein complexes, peptides), nucleic acids, lipids, carbohydrates, and small molecules.

Protein Agents. In some embodiments, the biomolecule is a protein or peptide. The terms “protein,” “polypeptide,” and “peptide” can be used interchangeably. In certain embodiments, peptides range from about 5 to about 5000, 5 to about 1000, about 5 to about 750, about 5 to about 500, about 5 to about 250, about 5 to about 100, about 5 to about 75, about 5 to about 50, about 5 to about 40, about 5 to about 30, about 5 to about 25, about 5 to about 20, about 5 to about 15, or about 5 to about 10 amino acids in size.

Polypeptides may contain L-amino acids, D-amino acids, or both and may contain any of a variety of amino acid modifications or analogs known in the art. Useful modifications include, e.g., terminal acetylation, amidation. In some embodiments, polypeptides may comprise natural amino acids, unnatural amino acids, synthetic amino acids, and combinations thereof, as described herein.

In some embodiments, the therapeutic agent may be a hormone, erythropoietin, insulin, cytokine, antigen for vaccination, growth factor. In some embodiments, the therapeutic agent may be an antibody and/or characteristic portion thereof. In some embodiments, antibodies may include, but are not limited to, polyclonal, monoclonal, chimeric (i.e., “humanized”), or single chain (recombinant) antibodies. In some embodiments, antibodies may have reduced effector functions and/or bispecific molecules. In some embodiments, antibodies may include Fab fragments and/or fragments produced by a Fab expression library (e.g. Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)2, scFv, Fv, dsFv diabody, and Fd fragments).

Nucleic Acid Agents. In certain embodiments of the invention, the biomolecule is a nucleic acid (e.g., DNA, RNA, derivatives thereof). In some embodiments, the nucleic acid agent is a functional RNA. In general, a “functional RNA” is an RNA that does not code for a protein but instead belongs to a class of RNA molecules whose members characteristically possess one or more different functions or activities within a cell. It will be appreciated that the relative activities of functional RNA molecules having different sequences may differ and may depend at least in part on the particular cell type in which the RNA is present. Thus the term “functional RNA” is used herein to refer to a class of RNA molecule and is not intended to imply that all members of the class will in fact display the activity characteristic of that class under any particular set of conditions. In some embodiments, functional RNAs include RNAi-inducing entities (e.g., short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), and microRNAs), ribozymes, tRNAs, rRNAs, RNAs useful for triple helix formation.

In some embodiments, the nucleic acid agent is a vector. As used herein, the term “vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule (typically, but not necessarily, a DNA molecule) which can transport another nucleic acid to which it has been linked. A vector can achieve extra-chromosomal replication and/or expression of nucleic acids to which they are linked in a host cell. In some embodiments, a vector can achieve integration into the genome of the host cell.

In some embodiments, vectors are used to direct protein and/or RNA expression. In some embodiments, the protein and/or RNA to be expressed is not normally expressed by the cell. In some embodiments, the protein and/or RNA to be expressed is normally expressed by the cell, but at lower levels than it is expressed when the vector has not been delivered to the cell. In some embodiments, a vector directs expression of any of the functional RNAs described herein, such as RNAi-inducing entities, ribozymes.

Carbohydrate Agents. In some embodiments, the biomolecule is a carbohydrate. In certain embodiments, the carbohydrate is a carbohydrate that is associated with a protein (e.g. glycoprotein, proteogycan). A carbohydrate may be natural or synthetic. A carbohydrate may also be a derivatized natural carbohydrate. In certain embodiments, a carbohydrate may be a simple or complex sugar. In certain embodiments, a carbohydrate is a monosaccharide, including but not limited to glucose, fructose, galactose, and ribose.

In certain embodiments, a carbohydrate is a disaccharide, including but not limited to lactose, sucrose, maltose, trehalose, and cellobiose. In certain embodiments, a carbohydrate is a polysaccharide, including but not limited to cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), dextrose, dextran, glycogen, xanthan gum, gellan gum, starch, and pullulan. In certain embodiments, a carbohydrate is a sugar alcohol, including but not limited to mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, malitol, and lactitol.

Lipid Agents. In some embodiments, the biomolecule is a lipid. In certain embodiments, the lipid is a lipid that is associated with a protein (e.g., lipoprotein). Exemplary lipids that may be used in accordance with the present invention include, but are not limited to, oils, fatty acids, saturated fatty acid, unsaturated fatty acids, essential fatty acids, cis fatty acids, trans fatty acids, glycerides, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, hormones, steroids (e.g., cholesterol, bile acids), vitamins (e.g., vitamin E), phospholipids, sphingolipids, and lipoproteins.

In some embodiments, the lipid may comprise one or more fatty acid groups or salts thereof. In some embodiments, the fatty acid group may comprise digestible, long chain (e.g., C8-C50), substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbons. In some embodiments, the fatty acid group may be one or more of butyric, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, arachidic, behenic, or lignoceric acid. In some embodiments, the fatty acid group may be one or more of palmitoleic, oleic, vaccenic, linoleic, alpha-linolenic, gamma-linoleic, arachidonic, gadoleic, arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic, or erucic acid.

Small Molecule Agents. In some embodiments, the therapeutic agent is a small molecule and/or organic compound with pharmaceutical activity. In some embodiments, the therapeutic agent is a clinically-used drug. In some embodiments, the drug is an anti-cancer agent, antibiotic, anti-viral agent, anti-HIV agent, anti-parasite agent, anti-protozoal agent, anesthetic, anticoagulant, inhibitor of an enzyme, steroidal agent, steroidal or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, antihistamine, immunosuppressant agent, anti-neoplastic agent, antigen, vaccine, antibody, decongestant, sedative, opioid, analgesic, anti-pyretic, birth control agent, hormone, prostaglandin, progestational agent, anti-glaucoma agent, ophthalmic agent, anti-cholinergic, analgesic, anti-depressant, anti-psychotic, neurotoxin, hypnotic, tranquilizer, anti-convulsant, muscle relaxant, anti-Parkinson agent, anti-spasmodic, muscle contractant, channel blocker, miotic agent, anti-secretory agent, anti-thrombotic agent, anticoagulant, anti-cholinergic, β-adrenergic blocking agent, diuretic, cardiovascular active agent, vasoactive agent, vasodilating agent, anti-hypertensive agent, angiogenic agent, modulators of cell-extracellular matrix interactions (e.g., cell growth inhibitors and anti-adhesion molecules), inhibitor of DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis.

In certain embodiments, a small molecule agent can be any drug. In some embodiments, the drug is one that has already been deemed safe and effective for use in humans or animals by the appropriate governmental agency or regulatory body. For example, drugs approved for human use are listed by the FDA under 21 C.F.R. §§330.5, 331 through 361, and 440 through 460, incorporated herein by reference; drugs for veterinary use are listed by the FDA under 21 C.F.R. §§500 through 589, incorporated herein by reference. All listed drugs are considered acceptable for use in accordance with the present invention.

A more complete listing of classes and specific drugs suitable for use in the present invention may be found in “Pharmaceutical Drugs: Syntheses, Patents, Applications” by Axel Kleemann and Jurgen Engel, Thieme Medical Publishing, 1999, and “The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals, Budavari et al. (eds.), CRC Press, 1996, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Biomolecules that can be advantageously conjugated with one or more zwitterionic polymer include biopharmaceuticals that have been approved for use. Biomolecules and biopharmaceuticals that have been PEGylated exemplify a class of biopharmaceuticals suitable for conjugation with one or more zwitterionic polymers to provide a zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate of the invention.

Conjugation Methods

The zwitterionic polymer can be conjugated to the biomolecule by covalent coupling of a suitably reactive polymer (e.g., active ester) with a native biomolecule or biomolecule modified to include a suitably reactive group (e.g., amino group of a native lysine residue for a protein or an amino group that has been incorporated into a protein or oligonucleotide). The preparation of a representative zwitterionic protein conjugate by conjugating a reactive ester (NHS) of a zwitterionic polymer to a generic protein (e.g., through available lysine groups) is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1. The coupling of a representative zwitterionic polymer (end terminal NHS ester of a polycarboxybetaine) to a representative biomolecule (enzyme CT) is described in Example 1.

Alternatively, the zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate can be prepared by covalently coupling one or more polymerization initiators to the biomolecule followed by polymerization using a suitable zwitterionic monomer to graft the polymer from the biomolecule (i.e., in situ polymerization). In this method, the one or more polymerization initiators are coupled to the biomolecule in the same way as described above for the direct conjugation of the polymer to the biomolecule. The in situ polymerization method may only be used for biomolecules that are stable to the reaction conditions required for polymerization.

Pharmaceutical Compositions

In another aspect, the invention provides a composition that includes the zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate of the invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent. Suitable carriers and diluents include those known in the art, such as saline and dextrose.

Methods for Administration/Treatment

In another aspect of the invention, methods for administration and treatment are provided.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for administration a zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate comprising administering a zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate of the invention to a subject in need thereof.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for treating a disease or condition treatable by administration of a biomolecule. In the method, a zwitterionic polymer conjugate of the biomolecule is administered to a subject in need thereof.

The following is a description of the preparation and properties of a representative zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate of the invention. In the following description, the biomolecule is exemplified by an enzyme, alpha-chymotrypsin (CT). Certain properties of the bioconjugate are compared to a corresponding PEGylated conjugate.

Stability. A thermal stability test was performed, measuring the effect of temperature on enzyme activity. N-Succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe p-nitroanilide (SEQ ID NO:1), a 625 Da peptide-based substrate was used to measure activity. From the data in FIG. 3A, it is seen that both pCB and PEG have stabilizing effects at elevated temperatures. Although PEG is a known stabilizing agent, pCB M_(n)Eq. conjugates were seen to provide even further improvement. In FIG. 3B it can be seen with pCB R_(h) Eq significant thermal stability is measured when compared to the previous two conjugates.

Urea, as a denaturant, is theorized to interact with the backbone of proteins and known to cause unfolding and loss of function. To fully stress the stability of the prepared conjugates, a nearly saturated urea solution was used to measure enzyme activity in situ. The results can be seen in FIG. 4. Time points of 2, 8 and 32 hours were chosen. At early time points no significant differences were seen. At 8 and 32 hours, greater instability was seen in the CT control and lower conjugated PEG samples. All pCB conjugates showed increased stability compared to the control even at lower degrees of conjugation. Only the highly conjugated PEG samples (HD) had activity comparable to all the other pCB conjugates. This shows that CT-pCB conjugates have a very unique ability to chemically stabilize proteins even with very little attached polymer.

FIG. 5 shows the serum stability of CT conjugates over a one week period. On day seven it can be seen that all pCB conjugates have a higher retained activity than all the PEG conjugates including the unconjugated control.

Kinetics and Affinity. For kinetic analysis, CT-PEG conjugates were compared to CT-pCB conjugates of equivalent molecular weight (pCB M_(n) Eq) and equivalent hydrodynamic size (pCB R_(h) Eq). Two substrates were used to evaluate the kinetic effects of the polymers: N-Succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe p-nitroanilide (SEQ ID NO:1), a 625 Da peptide-based substrate, and resorufin bromoacetate, a smaller (335 Da), non-peptide-based substrate. Resorufin bromoacetate was included as a negative control knowing that small, more hydrophobic substrates are much less inhibited to complex with enzymes by conjugated polymer.

FIG. 6 shows k_(cat) values for all conjugates tested. k_(cat) is the maximum rate of substrate conversion into product. This is independent of the substrate's ability to access the active site, which is represented by K_(m). k_(cat) occurs post-binding. This can be observed when substrate concentrations are very high. An increase in k_(m) represents a difference inherent to the enzyme-substrate complex. From FIG. 6 is can be seen that all PEG and pCB M_(n) Eq conjugates do not show significant change in k_(cat). For these conjugates, the polymers act passively. However, for the pCB R₁, Eq samples, there appears to be an increase in k_(cat). This is evidence of the polymer acting directly on the enzyme-substrate complex. For the peptide substrate, the increase in k_(cat) is more apparent and correlates more with the degree of conjugation. This is hypothesized to be due to the substrates amide chemistry, and shows that the polymer's effect on the enzyme and the peptide substrate are additive.

FIG. 7 shows the Michaelis Constant (K_(m)) values for all polymer protein conjugates. K_(m) is the substrate concentration at which 50% maximal activity (k_(cat)) is reached and approximates the affinity of substrate for the enzyme. As expected with the peptide based substrate, PEG has increasingly adverse effects, shown by an increase in K_(m) with increasing incorporation of polymer. However both CT-pCB conjugates were seen not to have any inhibitory effects. In fact, K_(m) for the pCB R_(h) Eq conjugates was seen to decrease as more polymers were incorporated onto the protein. K_(m) is greatly affected by the size and chemistry of conjugated polymers. As seen in the negative control, there is little trend with the small molecule substrate in comparison. More hydrophobic small molecule substrates are known to diffuse very easily in and out of the polymer shell of enzyme-polymer conjugates.

FIG. 8 shows the catalytic efficiency (k_(cat)/K_(m)) for all polymer protein conjugates. This is a universal term to define the total system's efficiency on catalyzing a substrate. These take into account the enzyme's ability to complex with a substrate and effectively convert it into product. Due to the combination of reasons mentioned above, the increase in K_(m) has resulted in low catalytic efficiencies for PEG conjugates. In contrast, the decrease in K_(m) and increase in k_(cat) for the pCB R_(h) Eq has resulted in a large increase in catalytic efficiency. To note, the highly conjugated PEG conjugate is seen to have a 47.6% reduction in catalytic efficiency, while the highly conjugated pCB R_(h) Eq conjugate is seen to have a 220.4% increase in activity.

The following examples are provided for the purpose of illustrating, not limiting, the invention.

EXAMPLES Example 1 The Preparation and Characterization of a Representative Zwitterionic Polymer Protein Conjugate

In this example, the preparation and characterization of a representative zwitterionic polymer protein conjugate of the invention, pCB-CT, is described.

Synthesis of NHS Terminated Carboxybetaine Polymers. N-Hydroxysuccinimide (2.26 g, 19.6 mmol) and 2-bromopropionic acid (1.45 ml, 16.4 mmol) were dissolved, in 500 ml of anhydrous dichloromethane in a round-bottomed flask, with a magnetic stirrer. The flask was cooled to 0° C. and a solution of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (3.35 g, 16.34 mmol) in DCM (25 ml) was added dropwise. After stirring at room temperature overnight the reaction mixture was filtered and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to give a yellow solid. The product was further purified by flash chromatography. Obtained 2.4 g of white solid (9.63 mmol, yield=59%). ¹H NMR (CDCl₃) (ppm): 1.97 (d, 3H, CH(CH ₃)Br), 2.88 (s, 4 H), 4.62 (q, 1 H, CH(CH₃)Br).

Atom transfer radical polymerization was carried out in anhydrous dimethylformamide (DMF) using a Cu(1)Br/HMTETA catalyst (FIG. 1A). In a typical polymerization, DMF and the liquid HMTETA ligand are separately purged of oxygen by bubbling with nitrogen. 1 g (3.67 mmol) of CBMA-1-tBut monomer and 125 mg (0.5 mmol) of NHS-initiator were added to a Schlenk tube. To a second Schlenk tube was added 71.7 mg (0.5 mmol) of Cu(1)Br. Both tubes were deoxygenated by cycling between nitrogen and vacuum three times. 8 and 2 mL of deoxygenated DMF were added to the monomer/initiator and Cu(1)Br tubes respectively. 136 uL (0.5 mmol) of deoxygenated HMTETA was added to the Cu(1)Br containing solution and was stirred for 30 min under nitrogen protection. The catalyst solution (Cu(1)/HMTETA) was then all added to the monomer/initiator solution to start the reaction. The reaction was run to completion at room temperature with monitoring by NMR. The polymer synthesis is unique because of the use of a protected zwitterionic monomer for controlled polymerization in organic solvent. This is important in treating reactive ester terminated polymers because deactivation of the ester can occur in more aqueous solvents (e.g., water and methanol). Post polymer modification, to remove the protecting monomer group in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), also does not hydrolyze the active ester. Other zwitterions are unable to remain soluble in organic solvents. This protection method offers a solution to this problem.

After polymerization, the reaction was fully precipitated in ethyl ether. The precipitate was then dried under vacuum and redissolved in minimal DMF (3-5 mL). This solution was vortexed until fully dissolved and precipitated in acetone to remove the soluble catalyst and trace monomer. This was repeated for a total of 3 times to fully remove the catalyst. The remaining ester polymer was dried overnight under vacuum and analyzed by NMR.

To hydrolyze the tert-butyl group, 500 mg NHS-pCBMA-1-tBut was dissolved in 5 mL trifluoroacetic acid (FIG. 1B). This was allowed to sit for 2 hours. The solution was then precipitated in ethyl ether, dried overnight under vacuum and subsequently analyzed by NMR and GPC.

Preparation and Analysis of Carboxybetaine-Protein Conjugates. For these experiments, a molecular weight of 5kDa was chosen to be used to compare the effects of PEG and pCB. Due to the different solution conformations between pCB and PEG, the molecular weights determined by GPC vary greatly when compared to the NMR determined molecular weights. PEG is known to take on a much more inflated conformation in solution while pCB is more condensed. This can be seen between the “PEG” and “pCB M_(n) Eq” GPC molecular weights in Tables 1 and 2. pCB M_(n) Eq is the molecular weight equivalent to PEG and used in the thermal, urea and serum stability testing. However, pCB conjugates with a larger pCB polymer were also prepared (“pCB R_(h) Eq”) with equivalent size determined by GPC for kinetic analysis. Only the pCB M_(n) Eq was used the stability studies to prove the smaller of the two prepared pCB polymers still had more advantageous effects when compared to 5 kDa PEG.

TABLE 1 Measured number of polymers conjugated per enzyme by TNBS assay. Additional pCB polymer prepared as a hydrodynamic size equivalent (pCB R_(h) Eq) to PEG. Polymer number/protein pCB M_(n) pCB R_(h) PEG Eq Eq High Density (HD) 4.3 3.8 5 Medium Density (MD) 2.5 2.7 3.1 Low Density (LD) 1.6 1.2 1.5

TABLE 2 Molecular weights determined by GPC and NMR (*M_(n) as received). Additional pCB polymer prepared as a hydrodynamic size equivalent (pCB R_(h) Eq) to PEG. NMR GPC Polymer M_(n) (kDa) M_(n) (kDa) M_(w)/M_(n) PEG 5.0* 4.9 1.01 pCB M_(n) Eq 4.2 2.5 1.04 (PEG molecular weight equiv) pCB R_(h) Eq 12.0 6.7 1.17 (PEG hydrodynamic size equiv)

Conjugation to surface exposed lysine ε-amino groups of CT with NHS activated pCB and PEG polymers. CT was prepared at 5 mg/mL in 200 mM HEPES buffer at pH 8.0 (FIG. 1C). Dry polymer was added directly to the enzyme solution. The feed ratios of polymer to protein were adjusted to control the degree of conjugation (number of polymers/CT protein). The reaction solution was stirred for 2 h on ice and then placed in the refrigerator overnight. Conjugates were purified from unreacted polymer by several buffer exchanges with phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, using ultrafiltration (30,000 Da MWCO). Glycerol was added at 40% after final filtration and stored at −20° C. The degree of modification (number of polymers/CT protein) was determined by a TNBS assay. The numbers of polymers per protein are set forth in Table 1. Conjugation was also confirmed in the GPC chromatograms (FIG. 2).

Examples for PEG and pCB M_(n) Eq. conjugates can be seen in FIG. 2.

Although membrane purification for this system was used, other methods were also addressed. Typical methods for protein purification include tag affinity, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. Presenting a unique challenge was ion exchange of the pCb conjugates. Due to the polymer's ionic nature, resolution between conjugates and non-conjugates was very poor. PEG is an uncharged polymer and was shown to have very high resolution. Protein tagging was not appropriate for the model system being used and therefore not tested. Size exclusion for both pCB and Peg conjugates worked well and should be used for all pCB purification needs.

A unique method for purification that is selective ammonium sulfate protein precipitation. Due to the unique kosmotropic characteristics of the pCB polymer, separation by ammonium sulfate protein precipitation works well for this system. PEG is proposed to have the opposite effect and not precipitate as easily by this technique and require other purification methods.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A zwitterionic polymer bioconjugate comprising one or more zwitterionic polymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule, wherein at least one of the zwitterionic polymers is a carboxybetaine.
 2. The conjugate of claim 1, wherein the zwitterionic polymer comprises a plurality of repeating units, each repeating unit having the formula:

wherein R₁ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 alkyl, and C6-C12 aryl groups; R₂ and R₃ are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl, and taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center; L₁ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center [N⁺(R₂)(R₃)] to the polymer backbone [—(CH₂—CR₁)_(n)—]; L₂ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic center [A(═O)O³¹ ] to the cationic center; A is C; M⁺ is a counterion associated with the (A—O)O⁻ anionic center; X⁻ is a counter ion associated with the cationic center; and n is an integer from 1 to about 10,000.
 3. The conjugate of claim 2, wherein R₁, R₂, and R₃ are independently selected from the group consisting of C1-C3 alkyl.
 4. The conjugate of claim 2, wherein L₁ is selected from the group consisting of —C(═O)O—(CH₂)_(n)— and —C(═O)NH—(CH₂)_(n)—, wherein n is 1-20.
 5. The conjugate of claim 2, wherein L₂ is —(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is an integer from 1-20.
 6. The conjugate of claim 1, wherein the biomolecule is a protein, a nucleic acid, a glycoprotein, a proteoglycan, a lipid, a small molecule or a small molecule agent.
 7. The conjugate of claim 1, wherein the biomolecule is a small molecule or a small molecule agent.
 8. A composition, comprising the conjugate of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically accepted carrier or diluent.
 9. A mixed charge copolymer bioconjugate comprising one or more mixed charge copolymers covalently coupled to a biomolecule, wherein the mixed charge copolymer comprises a plurality of positively charged repeating units and a plurality of negatively charged repeating units, and wherein the mixed charge copolymer is substantially electronically neutral.
 10. The conjugate of claim 9, wherein the mixed charge copolymer comprises a plurality of repeating units and has the formula:

wherein R₄ and R₅ are independently selected from hydrogen, fluorine, trifluoromethyl, C1-C6 alkyl, and C6-C12 aryl groups; R₆, R₇, and R₈ are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl, and taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center; A(═O)—OM) is an anionic center, wherein A is C, SO, SO₂, or PO, and M is a metal or organic counterion; L₃ is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center [N⁺(R₆)(R₇)(R₈)] to the polymer backbone; L₄ is a linker that covalently couples the anionic center [A(═O)—OM] to the polymer backbone; X⁻ is the counter ion associated with the cationic center; n is an integer from 1 to about 10,000; and p is an integer from 1 to about 10,000.
 11. The conjugate of claim 9, wherein R₄-R₈ are independently selected from the group consisting of C1-C3 alkyl.
 12. The conjugate of claim 9, wherein L₃ is selected from the group consisting of —C(═O)O—(CH₂)_(n)— and —C(═O)NH—(CH₂)_(n)—, wherein n is 1-20.
 13. The conjugate of claim 9, wherein L₄ is —(CH₂)_(n)—, where n is an integer from 1-20.
 14. The conjugate of claim 9, wherein the biomolecule is a protein, a nucleic acid, a carbohydrate, a lipid, a small molecule, or a small molecule agent.
 15. A composition, comprising the conjugate of claim 9 and a pharmaceutically accepted carrier or diluent. 